Application Process

Applications for the summer 2017 program are closed.

Ask Andrea Shettle at internships@usicd.org to add you to our Youth in Development mailing list. People on the Youth in Development mailing list will be alerted when information about future opportunities for US youth with disabilities becomes available. Or consider subscribing yourself to both USICD's newsletter and Youth in Development mailing lists via the landing page of our website, www.usicd.org (scroll down a little and check the right side navigation bar to find the box that says "subscribe to USICD's enewsletter).

Learn more detail about the eligibility criteria, the application and screening process, and the program via the "Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQ) section. Be aware that sometimes information may change from one year to the next.

Youth in International Development and Foreign Affairs DC Internship Program

Background on USICD's Internship Program

In 2013, with the vital support of the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF), USICD launched its first internship program focusing on youth with disabilities who are interested in international development or foreign affairs careers. This is the Youth in International Development and Foreign Affairs internship program. The project follows from a vision, core to USICD’s mission, to increase disability inclusion in U.S. foreign affairs by supporting future generations of Americans to invest their skills and talents in this field. The program will be held again in the summer of 2017 with continued funding from MEAF.

The Youth in International Development and Foreign Affairs internship program brought its first cohort of seven talented graduate and undergraduate students and recent graduates with disabilities to Washington, DC, for nine weeks in the summer of 2013 to expose them to the international development field. A similar program was held in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Participants go through a one week training course and then work with a major international development agency for eight weeks to learn more about foreign aid and development. During the first four years of the program, USICD placed a total of 24 interns at 17 different international organizations in the DC area. Throughout the summer internship program, interns participate in trainings and workshops on career development topics, in addition to attending meetings at the State Department and other agencies. Interns will receive a limited stipend, reimbursement for travel expenses, and fully-accessible housing. We anticipate that the summer 2017 cohort will need to be in DC from May 28 to July 29, 2017, though these dates may be subject to change. For more detail on the program, please consult the "Frequently Asked Questions" section.

Qualifications

You must be a U.S. citizen.

You must either be a graduate student, or a rising college junior or senior, or a recent graduate. "Recent graduates" for the summer 2017 program need to have graduated between spring 2016 and spring 2017 with a bachelor's or a graduate degree.

You must be a person with a disability.

You must meet one of the following age criteria:

Most candidates must be age 30 or younger (i.e., born on or after May 28, 1987).

U.S. veterans remain eligible up to age 35 (i.e., born on or after May 28, 1982).

USICD may consider granting other exceptions to the 30-year age limit in extraordinary circumstances for other candidates up to age 35.

How to Apply

Applications for the summer 2017 program are closed.

Ask Andrea Shettle at internships@usicd.org to add you to our Youth in Development mailing list. People on the Youth in Development mailing list will receive occasional reminders and will be alerted to any important new information. You may also wish to sign up for USICD's newsletter and/or the Youth in Development mailing list via USICD's landing page at www.usicd.org.

Learn more detail about the eligibility criteria, the application and screening process, and the program via the "Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQ) section. Be aware that sometimes some infomation may change from one year to the next.

(Note that each bio includes a statement about which organization hosted the person's internship via USICD's internship program. This includes a hypertext link to the website for the host organization.)

Host Organizations

If your organization is interested in hosting an intern from USICD's internship program in the summer 2017 program, please contact David Morrissey at dmorrissey@usicd.org or (202) 480-2332. During the first four years a total of 17 different host organizations have hosted 24 interns via USICD's internship program.

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